Demarest weighs assisted-living center on border with Alpine

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John C. Ensslin

An aerial map prepared by Hubschman Engineering that shows the proposed 149 unit assisted living facility, which would be located on the border of Alpine and Demarest if approved.(Photo: Stephanie Noda/NorthJersey.com)

DEMAREST — Developers are seeking to build a 149-unit assisted-living facility near the border with Alpine, but some neighbors have raised concerns about traffic.

New York-based developer Karp Alpine LLC wants to build the center on the border of Demarest and Alpine, at 375 Hillside Ave, in Demarest and 395 Hillside Ave. in Alpine, near the Academy of the Holy Angels. The plan will be heard before the Demarest Board of Adjustment on Tuesday at 8 p.m. in the Municipal Building.

Although neighbors worry about traffic, representatives from the developer say an assisted-living facility with an elderly population would not worsen traffic.

If approved, the facility, which would be 151,195 square feet and about 51 feet high, would offer facilities including Alzheimer’s care units, administrative offices and social rooms, according to a public notice for the meeting. Plans call for 72 parking spaces.

Carolyn Lockwood, who lives near the site, said she believed the units were "not indicative of the volume of traffic and parking required to operate these types of facilities." Not only would there be significant traffic, she felt, but an increase of water usage, waste water, loss of permeable surface and garbage.

"Also, in many of these facilities, residents are encouraged to get outside and exercise— where will they go?" said Lockwood. "Five acres in the middle of a residential neighborhood bordering a very busy county road is certainly not sufficient for the 149 units that are proposed."

Paul Majeski, who also lives near the property, said the developers “didn’t have a concern for public safety or they wouldn't be proposing such a massive and dense project on an already congested and dangerous street.”

John Schepisi, an attorney representing Karp Alpine LLC, said the traffic effects on the area would be "minimal," as most residents would not be driving.

“Most of the people are in their late 70s and early 80s,” said Schepisi. “These are people that are there to be taken care of.”

He said the high-end facility, which would serve about 149 senior citizens, would not take away from anyone’s home values and would fill a “definite need” in the Northern Valley region.

Demarest residents aren't the only ones concerned about the development. In a letter dated Nov. 17, attorney Russell R. Huntington presented Alpine's opposition to the project, saying it would be “completely out of character with the neighborhood and inconsistent with the Zone Plan and Master Plan.”

Huntington said the developers would also need to come before the Alpine Board of Adjustment after the Demarest hearings.

Among the complaints listed in the letter, representatives from the borough said the development was “grossly oversized” and would increase the amount of traffic in the area, and that the proposed 51-foot height “is excessive and will loom over the surrounding properties.”